Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Our summer tour of FBS schools looks at the specialists for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.8/10/13 kicking update:

Head coach Bobby Petrino: “Schwettman has come back in better condition and is stronger. Occhipinti has been very impressive…he gets the ball up
high and right away which really helps to make sure you don’t get it
blocked inside. It’ll be a good battle, but it’s just gotten started.”

High school: senior year was 7 of 12 on field goals, with long of 39 yards... 30 of 32 PATs... averaged 56.0 yards on 47 kickoffs with 36 touchbacks... averaged 38.9 yards on 50 punts, with a long of 67 yards, paced 13 inside the 20 yard line

"I'm also a combo player, so being able to bring punting to the
special teams is a triple-threat, really. I can hit really long field goals and I know that's been a struggle that they've had lately, being
able to hit 40-yard field goals. In the Central Michigan game (the Little Caesars
Pizza Bowl), they could've hit the field goal to tie but they decided
to go for it. I believe that I'll be able to hit long field goals for
them."

2012: became a reliable force in the kicking game during his true freshman
season, connecting on 10-of-13 field goal attempts and 42-of-43 extra
points in 12 games played. He posted four multi-field goal performances
in his rookie season while hitting a perfect 8-of-8 field goals inside
of 30 yards. Schwettman booted a career-long 42-yard field goal at
Louisiana-Lafayette (11/17), where he also added a 25-yard
three-pointer.

2012: started every game at punter for the third-straight year, leading the
Sun Belt Conference in yards per punt at 42.1. He booted 45 punts for a
total of 1,896 yards, nine of which traveled 50 or more yards.
Brakefield blasted a career-long 74 yard punt in the Little Caesars
Pizza Bowl against Central Michigan (12/26), ending the game with a
season-best 52 yards per punt average

Special teams coach Ricky Brumfield on Dowling’s tackling: “It’s coming along very well. He’s gotten a
lot better, he’s getting better as far as open-field tackling. He’s not
just trying to lay shots, he’s trying to wrap the guy up and bring him
down. In the last scrimmage he’s come miles away from where he was – not that
he was bad. He’s gotten better. The No. 1 thing is just open-field
tackling and I think he’s gotten a lot better. He’s bringing guys down,
he’s doing good on sideline tackle, on the angles – he’s gotten a whole
lot better.”